College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

37 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,618 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$33,946 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in journalism, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #69 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 37 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,618 degrees in journalism during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Journalism School

Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of journalism school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for journalism schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Journalism Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Journalism
Master's Degrees in Journalism
Doctor's Degrees in Journalism

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Journalism in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the journalism degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Journalism

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
209 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$42,011 Median Starting Salary

University of Wisconsin - Madison is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in journalism. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 209 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Journalism degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn a boost of about $8,065 above the average income of journalism majors.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
123 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,589 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in journalism has to look into Indiana University - Bloomington. IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 123 journalism students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year. Journalism degree recipients from Indiana University - Bloomington receive an earnings boost of about $3,643 over the typical income of journalism majors.

More information about a degree in journalism from Indiana University - Bloomington

3
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Journalism Degrees Awarded
9.0% Growth in Graduates

Michigan State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in journalism. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 111 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the journalism program earn an average of $32,630 for their early career.

More information about a degree in journalism from Michigan State University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$35,459 Median Starting Salary

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in journalism. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 53 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the journalism program make an average of $35,459 for their early career.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$35,870 Median Starting Salary

OHIO Athens is a fairly large public university located in the town of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #239 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were roughly 185 journalism students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career wages of $35,870.

More information about a degree in journalism from Ohio University - Athens Campus

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,353 Median Starting Salary

Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public university located in the town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 37 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available. Those journalism students who get their degree from Miami University - Oxford earn $3,407 more than the standard journalism student.

More information about a degree in journalism from Miami University - Oxford

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$42,865 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #205 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ball State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 68 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent year we have data available. Those journalism students who get their degree from Ball State University make $8,919 more than the typical journalism student.

More information about a degree in journalism from Ball State University

8
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,947 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #130 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Marquette is a great university overall.

There were roughly 30 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Marquette in the most recent data year. After graduation, journalism degree recipients typically make an average of $31,947 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in journalism from Marquette University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$29,194 Median Starting Salary

UC is a very large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #166 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 35 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career income of $29,194.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Journalism Degrees Awarded
19.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were approximately 42 journalism students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program report average early career income of $33,582.

More information about a degree in journalism from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

Best Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best journalism schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 245
Ohio 314 426
Illinois 304 332
Indiana 294 274
Wisconsin 273 325

View All Rankings >

Journalism is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Journalism Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Journalism 1,518
Photojournalism 54
Other Journalism 25
Broadcast Journalism 21

View All Journalism Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 9,064
Public Relations & Advertising 3,669
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 3,416
Communication & Journalism (Other) 138
Publishing 2

View All Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options